This injury could not have come at a worse time for the Sox, as Clay Buchholz continues to nurse a sore back, and John Lackey (5-8, 7.47 ERA) continues to get hit around like batting practice. The pitching staff will have to continue to get good performances from Josh Beckett, Andrew Miller, and Tim Wakefield in the meantime.

While there may be no hope for Lackey, who has faced questions about injuries himself, the rest of the staff has been solid. Alfredo Aceves, who has been up-and-down, will also get a few starts. In other Sox injury news, there is LF Carl Crawford and his hamstring. Crawford seemed to finally be putting it together before he pulled it, and will most likely return at Baltimore in a couple of weeks. His addition could help compensate for the lackluster J.D. Drew, who could be pushed out of the lineup by Josh Reddick in the final year of his deal. Many question if Drew has check out already and is alreasy retired in his own mind. Marco Scutaro also continues to play decently in the absence of oft-injured shortstop Jed Lowrie.

 Even though the Red Sox had a horrendous start to the year, and have had numerous injuries that would kill the chances of a lesser team, they are in prime position to return to the postseason. As long as Adrian Gonzalez, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, and Kevin Youkilis stay hot, they should be able to stave off the Tampa Bay Rays, who seem like the only legitimate threat at the Sox’ chance at the Wild Card.

Struggling Red Sox RP Hideki Okajima

During their current West Coast road trip, the Boston Red Sox need for bullpen help has never been more present than it is right now.  While the offense has been silent lately, help is on the way as Victor Martinez will be back this week, Jacoby Ellsbury is on a rehab assignment, and Dustin Pedroia isn’t far from coming back.  There are no such reinforcements in sight internally for the Red sox.

Following Hideki Okajima’s horrendous performance yesterday – 2/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 inherited runner scored, and a blown save – one would think that a move would be coming very soon.  Okajima’s outing, combined with Manny Delcarmen’s brutal outing on Thursday – 4 batters faced, 0 outs recorded, 2 H, 4R, 1 BB – against the Seattle Mariners, the worst hitting lineup in the American League at a .233 batting average -has made the bullpen a priority at the trade deadline. 

It is June 26, and hope for a playoff berth is slipping away with by the day as the team continues to blow leads late, make crippling errors (see: Bill Hall and Eric Patterson), and get next to no production from their outfield.  The Yankees and Rays are taking full advantage as they continue to win easily against the dregs of the American League, which is something that this Red Sox team seems to have a hard time with between Oakland and the Mariners on this trip.

The road will not get any easier.  The Red Sox begin a 3 game set at Anaheim vs. the Angels tonight.  Tonight, they will have to face the newly acquired former Cy Young winner Dan Haren, who was absolutely thieved from Arizona for a struggling Joe Saunders and a pupu platter of questionable minor league prospects in a trade yesterday afternoon.  If they do not take 2 out of 3 from the Angels to salvage a .500 record for this trip, it may be panic time.

Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis

As the Red Sox bandwagon limps into the 2010 All-Star break with 2 broken wheels and a seizing engine, the team still finds itself in decent shape, with a 51-37 record, 5 games behind the Yankees and 2 behind the Rays for the Wild Card.  Not bad for a team with 12 players on the disabled list. 

In comparison, last season a healthy Red Sox team found itself with a 54-34 record at the break, 3 games ahead of the Yankees for the AL East lead, but one that they would eventually relinquish.  For the Red Sox to be only 3 games off last year’s pace with the number of injuries they currently have is nothing short of remarkable. 

To put it in perspective, 4 of the 6 Red Sox selected to play in the 2010 All-Star Game in Anaheim cannot play due to injury.  Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez, Clay Buchholz, and Adrian Beltre – who strained his hamstring just yesterday – will not play.  Jon Lester and David Ortiz are the only Red Sox healthy enough to play for the American League, which has won 12 in a row, if you throw out the embarrassing tie in the 2002 All-Star Game.

It could be said that no team needs the All-Star break like the Red Sox do, who in addition to the aforementioned infirmary all-stars, are currently missing ace Josh Beckett, CF Jacoby Ellsbury, captain C Jason Varitek, 3B Mike Lowell, OF Jeremy Hermida, and RP Manny Delcarmen.  Also, OF Mike Cameron – who is fighting through an abdominal tear – and SP Daisuke Matsuzaka have also battled injuries this year as well.

The ability of the Red Sox to be where they are now is a testament to the front office and manager Terry Francona, who has deployed numerous replacements that not many had heard of including CF Darnell McDonald, LF Daniel Nava, SP Felix Dubront, 2B/OF Eric Patterson, as well as veterans IF/OF Bill Hall and C Kevin Cash. 

While the Red Sox will apparently be getting healthier as time progresses, they will have their work cut out for them following the break.  They will host Texas for a 4-game set at Fenway, which is sure to include one game against the newly acquired ace Cliff Lee. 

They will then embark on a 10-game west coast road trip, (which is never easy) with 3 games at Oakland, 4 at Seattle, and 3 at the Angels and then host the Tigers (3) and Indians (4) before heading to Yankee Stadium for a 4-game weekend set. 

If the Red Sox can break even on the west coast trip and win both series at home before heading to the House That Jeter Built, they will still be in good shape.  For this to happen, John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka must earn their keep, the front office must bring in another bullpen arm to buttress Jonathan Papelbon and Daniel Bard, and some of the other pieces must get back into the fold as well. 

As Boston fans we want to see this team as the 2004 Patriots, who battled a ridiculous amount of injuries on their way to a third Superbowl title, rather than the 2006 Red Sox, who had an equal amount of freak injuries, but fell out of the race in August after being swept at home in a 5-game series by the Yankees.  By the time the series in New York is over on Monday August 9, we will know exactly where this team stands.

Red Sox Prospect Casey Kelly

As the Boston Red Sox enter the 2010 season, hope springs eternal as expectations for the team are high as always.  The pressure will always be on to catch the hated Yankees in the AL East.  But what does the future hold?  Boston fans can rest assured that the future of the team looks secure, as there are many exciting players in the minor league system to replenish the team for years to come.  Spring training is a great showcase for young players and prospects, and the Sox camp is full of them.

The Sox’ most prized prospect is pitcher Casey Kelly. Just age 20, Kelly features the standard arsenal for a young right hander with a low to mid-90’s fastball, curve, and change-up.  He is most likely to stay at AA Portland this year to continue his development and probably debut at some point in 2011.  The former shortstop and 2008 1^st round pick is the Red Sox most untouchable minor leaguer.

Ryan Westmoreland is local product from Portsmouth, Rhode Island.  A 19-year old outfielder, Westmoreland projects as a top-notch defensive player with great speed and base running ability.  He is a patient and disciplined left-hander hitter who can spray the ball to all fields.  Keep your eye on him, as he is still in the lower levels of the minors, but should be a fast riser and be in Boston in a few years.

Jose Iglesias is a 20-year old defensive prodigy at shortstop.  Signed in September as an international free agent from Cuba, Iglesias has already wowed the team’s staff in Ft. Myers.  While scouts say he must improve at the plate, he did manage to hit .275 in the Arizona Fall League in 2009.  Given the volatility at the position, this potential Gold-Glover could be in Boston sooner than expected.

While many Major League Baseball and American League teams play checkers, the Red Sox brass continue to play chess.  Excellent drafting and scouting has kept the team competitive for the last decade, and this trend will almost surely continue for the next ten years.  As other teams splurge on free-agents that are well past their prime, the Sox invest a vast amount of resources into their minor league system as they grow talent on the cheap.

The philosophy of the 2010 Boston Red Sox is centered on pitching and defense – run prevention.  With that being said,  Jason Bay’s 119 RBI, and Mike Lowell’s 75 RBI (expect him to be traded sometime this spring if healthy) will be sorely missed.  Other than the rapidly aging David Ortiz, only two players in the Red Sox lineup have ever produced more than 30 homeruns in a single season 

Red Sox Ace John Lackey

– both in 2004 – six years ago when Mike Cameron hit 30 for the Mets and Adrian Beltre hit a fluky 48 for the Dodgers in a contract year (his next highest total is 26!).  Ortiz surely cannot be expected to produce at the clip that the once did, and the other two occurrences happened back when John Kerry was running for president.  It remains to be seen if the perceived defensive improvements of Cameron and Beltre will make up for the lack of punch in the offense. 

How will John Lackey pitch at Fenway over a full season?

There is no doubt that the Red Sox acquired a legitimate front-line starter when they signed former Angel Jon Lackey to an $82 million contract.  However, Lackey will probably tell you that Fenway hasn’t exactly been friendly to him.  In 9 career games at Fenway, Lackey has been beaten to the tune of a 5.75 ERA, a .314 batting average against, and a WHIP of 1.67.  In the postseason, has been slightly better with a 4.15 ERA in 2 starts at Fenway.  Granted, these numbers came against some Red Sox offensive juggernauts, but Lackey will certainly have to put up with the vaunted New York Yankees offense at home at some point this year being in the AL East.  Lackey is a fiery competitor and will certainly take this challenge to heart.

Is David Ortiz done?

Coming off his worst year since joining the Red Sox, David Ortiz enters the final year of his contract as a huge question mark.  Can he be relied upon in big spots?  Probably not.  Last season his bat appeared to be slow vs. fastballs high and tight, and there is no reason to expect that this quality will improve with age.  When he struggled, he appeared disinterested.  Pitchers no longer fear Big Papi, who will more than likely bat 6^th in the order between J.D. Drew and Mike Cameron.  It will be up to Kevin Youkilis and Victor Martinez to provide the big hit.  Ortiz seems to be a relic from a time gone by, where the designated hitter would be a specialized offensive threat.  Nowadays most teams use the position to rest position players without granting them a day off.

How will Jason Varitek being a supporting cast member affect the team?

After seeing the team captain become a virtual automatic out over the last two seasons as well as having his defensive game slip, one could certainly argue that this will have a positive effect.  Although he has been long-celebrated as the man who “handles the pitching staff very well” once Victor Martinez stepped in last year, there did not seem to be much difference in the staff’s performance.  The fact is that Varitek is a consummate professional who has constantly put the team’s interest before his own, and accepting the backup catchers’ role is another example of this.